Google Hints A Future Where Android Might NOT Be Free

Under EU rules Google could have been fined up to 10 percent of parent company Alphabet's annual revenue, which hit $110.9 billion in 2017. "They truly have taken advantage of the USA, but not for long!" he tweeted.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of CT tweeted that the fine should "be a wake-up call" to the Federal Trade Commission and "should lead USA enforcers to protect consumers".

Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission's competition chief, said that allowed Google to illegally establish dominance in the mobile search market. "A vibrant ecosystem, rapid innovation, and lower prices are classic hallmarks of robust competition", CEO Sundar Pichai has also suggested that the ruling will mean that Android will no longer be offered for free. The commission said the company has 90 days to end the practice or it will face more fines.

Mr Pichai said: "The free distribution of the Android platform, and of Google's suite of applications, is not only efficient for phone makers and operators-it's of huge benefit for developers and consumers". Google was given until mid-October to stop what the European Union called "illegal practices" on contracts with handset manufacturers that push its services in front of users. Specifically, its says that Google requires smartphone makers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome on their device in order to gain access to other Google apps.

Trump's child-like comments come amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Europe.

Despite lambasting the tech company with a huge fine, the European Union has not made suggestions as to how Google should tackle its competition problem.

The Android case originated when a lobbying group called FairSearch - with members then including huge tech companies like Microsoft, Nokia and Oracle - complained that Google was unfairly tilting the field of competition.

Industry analysts described the European Union order as too late to reshape the industry.

He is also considering tariffs on European cars and parts that the USA imports.

According to an exclusive report by Bloomberg, Google is secretly working on a new mobile operating system that will eventually replace the current Android OS.

The head of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday he would closely review the European decision.